The Sparrow and the Crow
by Marjorie Franklin
Summary: [AU] Monster. He is a monster. That's what everyone says. His morbid fate is sealed and nothing can change that. He is what he is. She knows that and yet...she loves him. He is a monster, and monsters aren't capable of loving someone in return, right? [Vanitas x Xion]
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** I do NOT own any part of Kingdom Hearts, Final Fantasy, or the cover image in any way, shape or form. I own nothing!

* * *

**_The Sparrow and the Crow_**

**_Chapter 1_**

* * *

**Bored**. Vanitas is ten different kinds of bored. Like always, he sits towards the back of the classroom and listens to another dreadfully boring lecture, courtesy of Instructor No. 12, Aqua.

With a heavy and much too loud sigh, Vanitas props his feet on his study panel and folds his arms behind his head. One advantage to not sharing a study panel with another student is that he can recline without bothering anyone.

His intentional disturbance earns him a few curious glances from his fellow _pupils _and a nasty look from Aqua.

Vanitas returns the favor.

_Bitch. _

Once the young blue-haired Instructor manages to regain the attention of the class, Vanitas represses a groan. She is putting notes on the board, again. Too bad _he 'forgot'_ to bring his notebook. Technically, he could just use the computer installed into the study panel, but that would require him giving a damn.

Since taking notes isn't a favorable option anymore, Vanitas_ could_ listen to the lecture. He could, but he won't. It isn't like it will do him any good anyway. The lecture is for those who actually _want_ to graduate from this hellhole of an educational institution, those that _want_ to be trained into becoming unique, specialized military forces, those that will actually reap the benefits of attending and graduating from this place.

Vanitas supposes he does want to graduate so he could be enlisted in an army anywhere in the world, but that isn't in the cards for him. If he does somehow manage to graduate, and he doesn't know that he will, he wouldn't be permitted to leave the Land of Departure's Academy of Mastery. He is pretty sure Headmaster Eraqus will rip him apart with his bare hands before he risks releasing him out into the world.

'_We have to maintain the balance,'_ Vanitas mocks the demented and highly judgmental Headmaster in his head.

This place is his prison, nothing more, nothing less and everyone knows it. He isn't here to better himself or find his place in the world or to protect the balance or any sentimental crap like that. He is kept here as a precaution, under the watchful eye of the Masters and the Headmaster so he won't do anything he shouldn't. He is a damn liability. Actually, now that he thinks about it; that is putting it lightly. Saying he is a liability is an understatement.

Vanitas is on the verge of brooding himself into a coma, so he stops his thought process right there and tries to focus on his surroundings. However, focusing on his surroundings also means focusing on Aqua and he doesn't want to do that. He will bust a blood vessel.

Instead of listening to Instructor Aqua go over Academy protocol, _again,_ he eyes his classmates.

They are all so sickeningly transparent. He doesn't interact with them on a personal level, but he does observe them. It is one of his favorite past times considering he isn't allowed to do much given the circumstances…

Ventus is playing nice with his study panel mate, Xion, and subtly flirting with her. The flirting is so subtle it is _painfully _obvious.

He rolls his glaring, golden eyes.

_Brother dear_ has been in love with Xion for a while and he supposes he understands his_ brother's_ immature and completely illogical infatuation. After all, Xion is pretty much the only person in this damn academy that doesn't treat him like a monster. She never has. She has never been anything but kind to him and Vanitas doesn't understand that. Kindness is one of the many emotions that lie just beyond his reach and just outside his realm of comprehension.

Xion laughs at Ventus's pitiful jokes and smiles warmly at him across the study panel they share.

Vanitas is pretty sure she simply humors him. He doesn't think she actually gives a shit. She is just too nice to blow him off. She will get bored with him, eventually. She won't commit to the pushy boy. Vanitas likes to think she isn't into him that way, she just doesn't realize it yet.

Bored again, he averts his eyes and observes the individuals seated at the study panel to their left.

Naminé silently sketches in a sketchpad as she sits next to Riku. Vanitas smirks when he sees Naminé's blue eyes wander over to Ventus's study panel. The blonde girl likes Ventus but Ventus likes Xion but Vanitas doesn't know whom the hell Xion likes. She is kind of hard to read, but the point is Ventus is so wrapped up in trying to win over Xion he doesn't notice Namine's little crush.

This amuses Vanitas. He enjoys turmoil. He will admit it. He likes chaos and conflict, but why wouldn't he? He is anarchy incarnate. It is in his blood to enjoy such things. By design, he is wired to sow seeds of mayhem.

The tawny gaze shifts yet again.

Sora and Kairi are goofing off on the other side of the room. That is another messed up scenario, but this one isn't nearly as amusing.

Sora likes Kairi and Kairi likes Sora. Vanitas is pretty sure but Riku likes Kairi too. However, Vanitas is also pretty sure Riku could have a thing for Naminé and maybe even Xion, but Riku's affections for are unrequited regardless of who he wants and unrequited love is always somewhat amusing.

Vanitas looks at the back of Xion's coal-black head again and decides that unrequited love is not_ always_ amusing. It wouldn't be fun if it happened to him. Good thing Vanitas can't love…not really, but if he could…

He mentally slaps himself across the face for temporarily losing his mind and for being such a sentimental, adolescent dumb-ass.

He has trekked into dangerous territory so his golden gaze adjust to the morons sitting between him and Xion, Axel and Roxas, Xion's best friends. The girl clearly has no regard for taste. She likes his _brothers _and the freak with fire in his hair and tattoos on his face.

Axel throws paper wads at Xion and starts singing something along the lines of _'Ventus and Xion sitting in a tree.'_

Xion blushes and throws the paper wads back at him. When she turns to throw her weapon made of vellum at the lanky redhead she catches him staring at her.

Vanitas stiffens when their eyes mate.

Much to his displeasure, Xion smiles at him. Instinctively, his eyes narrow at her as an intense glower consumes his face.

Her smile falls and she shies away from his smoldering gaze before she turns to face the front of the room again.

Aqua scolds Axel and Xion for throwing paper wads and begins lecturing again.

Boredom savagely devours Vanitas again and he seriously considers going to sleep, but going to sleep will only cause Aqua to chide him and he doesn't really feel like going through that. Besides, sleeping won't get him out of this room.

If Vanitas could self-destruct, he would.

Vanitas_ can't_ self-destruct, but he_ can_ leave.

Without a second thought, Vanitas gets out of his chair and makes a break for the door.

"Vanitas, you haven't been excused."

There's the haughty remark he was waiting for and the one he already knew he wouldn't heed the instant it left Aqua's lips.

"I know." he smirks during his response but doesn't stop his journey up the aisle of study panels to the door.

"Vanitas, sit back down," the azure Instructor warns and points to his panel at the back of the room.

Vanitas chortles.

"No. I'm good._ Thanks_," he opens the door and glances back at Aqua and the classroom.

He catches the look Xion is giving him and it pisses him off. The look on her face is somber and maybe a touch disappointed. It is strange expression. It's like she is disappointed in how rude he is being. Why would it surprise her? Why would she expect any different?

_Idiot._

"Vanitas, if you leave you are going to Headmaster's office!" Aqua hisses and slams her hands on her desk.

Vanitas shoots her an obscene one-fingered hand gesture before he exits and slams the door.

* * *

When the lecture ends, the room is buzzing about Vanitas's behavior. Vanitas doesn't have class with other pupils much but when he does it is usually a memorable experience and this time was no different.

"I can't believe he just left like that…" Naminé squeaks as she rises from her seat and places her sketchpad into her baby blue backpack.

"I can." Ventus chuckles and politely helps Xion with her books.

"Thank you." Xion gives him a smile as she takes the tomes from him.

"Yeah, name one class meeting he didn't interrupt or disturb in some way." Riku folded his arms.

Naminé's eyes wander over the ceiling and the floor as she tries to remember a time when Vanitas actually stayed through an entire lecture without screaming or protesting or trying to argue with the Instructors about the validity of their lecture.

"Yeah… I got nothing…" she shrugs and pulls her backpack over her shoulder.

"Why don't they just kick him out?" Kairi asks as she joins the conversation.

"They can't. He will destroy the world if they do," Axel states and Xion can't tell if he is joking or if he is serious.

No one laughs so she assumes he is serious.

"Xion, can I see you for a moment?" Aqua asks over the soft chatter and the sounds of rustling books and backpacks.

The conversation deteriorates at the sound of Aqua's voice and the small group disperses.

"Want me to wait on you?" Ventus offers as he walks by Xion.

"No, it's fine. Go ahead. I'll see you later." she smiles meekly and her eyes shyly fall to the floor.

"Alright," he surrenders. "See ya, Aqua," he calls to his friend and playfully pats her desk before exiting with the other pupils.

"Bye, Ven."

"Yes?" Xion inquires as she tightly holds her books over her chest and ventures to the young Instructor's desk.

"I have a favor to ask," Aqua says as she rubs her aching temples. Xion is sure she is still nursing the headache Vanitas gave her.

"Anything." Xion smiles and places a lock of ebony behind one of her ears.

Aqua is an instructor, but she is still young and one of Xion's good friends so, once the instructor air dissolves, Xion talks to her as she normally would.

Aqua passed the Mark of Mastery exam and graduated at the age of fifteen, and at the age of eighteen became one of the youngest instructors ever.

The blue maiden is now twenty, only three years older than Xion, but because of her age she is less strict and struggles to be taken seriously be her students who also double as her classmates for years. Now Aqua is kept at a distance from her pupils because of her rank. Xion knows this upsets her and that she wants a better relationship with the people around her.

"Will you be willing to go on a mission for me?" Aqua pleads and this is clearly more of a request from a friend than an order from an Instructor.

Xion is a bit taken back by the request. Ususally, the Headmaster is the individual that assigns students to missions. Xion has been in Mastery Academies since she was a child so she wasn't new to the standard protocol. She is a student at an academy that trains students to be a mercenary force that completes missions all over the world so she has been on countless missions. However, this is the first time an Instructor has assigned one to her, but who is she to question her friend and Instructor?

"Sure." Xion nods and shifts the books in her arms.

Aqua exhales. "Thank you so much. I really appreciate it."

A knock interrupts Xion's reply and Aqua holds up a hand to momentarily stifle the raven-haired girl.

"Come in," the Instructor calls calmly and Xion can tell she already knows who waits on the other side of the door.

Terra enters the vacant classroom with a salad from the cafeteria and a bottle of water. The wholehearted smile that blossoms across Aqua's face at the sight of Terra is infectious. Xion can't help but grin at the burly brunette too.

"I brought you lunch." He holds up his offering as he approaches her desk.

"Hey, Xion," Terra adds and places the food on the desk in front of Aqua.

"Hi, Terra," Xion greets warmly. "How are you?"

"Pretty good," he replies before moving behind the desk to massage Aqua's obviously tense shoulders. "You?"

"I'm good. Thank you for asking."

"Anytime," he chuckles and pats Aqua's arms.

"I brought you pain killers too. I knew you had Vanitas in class today…" he continues after turning his attention back to Aqua.

Aqua's head hits her desk at the sound of Vanitas's name as Terra gently places the bottle of painkillers by her face.

"That bad, huh?" Terra inquires before casually placing his hands back in his pockets.

"He argued with her ever ten seconds then he left in the middle of class. Oh, and he gave her the one finger salute on his way out," Xion explains for Aqua since the Instructor seems content with keeping her forehead plastered to her desk.

"Nice," Terra chuckles.

"It's not funny…" Aqua mumbles into the paperwork she is using as a pillow.

"No. Of course not." Terra winks at Xion and she represses a giggle.

"Anyway!" Aqua's blue head pops up and she places a few loose strands of her short hair behind her ears. "Xion, I will set up a meeting with the Headmaster and you can see him after you are finished with your classes for the day. He will make the necessary changes and give you the details of the mission. I was going to go myself but I really don't have the time…"

"No! It's fine. I don't mind. Really," Xion insists.

"Thank you so much. I owe you one," Aqua says as she opens her salad's plastic container. "It shouldn't be anything too grueling. It shouldn't be more than you can handle. I'll set up your briefing with Headmaster Eraqus and he will tell you all that you need to know."

"Okay! Sounds good. Enjoy your lunch. It was good to see you, Terra," Xion says as she makes her way to the door.

"You too," the brunette smiles and sits on Aqua's desk.

"Thanks again, Xion," Aqua calls and opens her water bottle.

"Don't mention it," Xion says before shutting the door and leaving.

* * *

Xion is nervous. She is nervous and the screaming inside the Headmaster's office isn't helping.

She waits outside the office in the neat, little lobby on leather cushions, her hands elegantly entwined in her blackened lap. Her hands slip and slide all over one another as she tries to calm her nerves and ignore the yelling inside.

The raven-haired girl knows who is screaming inside. Vanitas is screaming profanities at Master Eraqus…again.

Xion winces.

Angry. He is always so angry.

Xion just came to receive the briefing for the mission she was going on for Aqua; she didn't come here to listen to the next Keyblade War unfold. However, she can kind of understand why Vanitas is pissed. His situation, while mysterious, isn't a _complete_ secret.

"_Vanitas, please, calm down…" _

Master Eraqus sounds like he is at wit's end.

Xion wishes she could ignore all this. She doesn't want any of this gracing her ears. It is none of her business but they are so loud!

Things grow quieter after while but Xion can still hear the murmurs of angry bickering.

A door slams and the murmurs cease. Heavy footsteps sound inside the office then Vanitas barrels out of the door into the lobby.

At the sight of Xion he reels a bit, his golden eyes widen momentarily before narrowing back into their signature scowl.

In spite of his scowl, Xion offers him a small smile.

Xion notices he isn't in his Job attire nor is he in his Academy uniform. He boldly wears civilian clothing, a black hooded jacket with the sleeves rolled to his elbows, a white t-shirt underneath, and jeans.

As a student whom she assumes has a Job here as either a Warrior or Dark Knight, depending on the situation, he should be in either their gear or the school uniform… However, he isn't, but this doesn't surprise Xion. Vanitas is able to cheat the system. To keep him out of trouble and to keep him under their watchful eye, they let him get away with pretty much anything as long as he doesn't go running off into the Dark Realm…or to Master Xehanort…

"What?" he barks when he grows tired of the silence and the innocent look she is giving him.

"N-nothing!" she defends and holds her hands up in surrender.

"You wanna pass judgment too?"

"No."

Xion has no clue where all this is coming from. She has never offered to pass judgment on him. She understands what he is but she has never judged him for it.

Vanitas is a time bomb in more ways than one. His temper is one and he himself is the other. They say that he will make some weapon that will bring about war, ruination, or catastrophe or something… And that he will create and control a new breed of monster…

Xion doesn't know the gory details but she does know that Vanitas is rarely seen as anything other than a monster or a walking apocalypse waiting to happen.

His eyes wander over her cynically before they roll.

"Whatever," he scoffs before placing his hands in his pockets and disappearing out of the lobby.

"Sheesh, Xion. What did you do?" chuckles a familiar voice over Vanitas's fleeting footsteps.

Xion jumps and turns to see that it is Axel leaning against the wall beside her.

"N-nothing! I didn't do anything!" Xion squeaks as she looks back at him.

"Calm down." Axel chuckles some more. "I was only teasing. Like that guy needs a reason to be pissed…"

"He has plenty…" Xion adds as she tucks her stocking covered ankles behind one another underneath her seat.

"Are you taking up for him?" Axel practically gapes.

"Not necessarily." Xion shrugs and stares holes into the floor. "I just know he has a lot to deal with. You know, because of who he is?"

"You mean _what_ he is?"

Xion wouldn't call Vanitas a _what. _He is still a person, although almost everyone in this school would say otherwise.

"Either way, he can't help what or who he is anymore than we can…"

"Humph. Sure." Axel shrugs and scratches his fiery head. "So! What are you doing here?"

"Briefing. I'm going on a mission in Aqua's place," Xion explains and gives Axel a quick smile.

"Big shoes to fill," Axel muses aloud and Xion nods.

He is right. Those shoes are all but impossible to fill. Not only is Aqua a Master and Graduate and the youngest Instructor at this facility, Aqua's Job classification is Sage while Xion is simply classified as a Black Mage, for now anyway. Aqua has all but mastered black and white magic. It takes both Naminé and Xion to do what Aqua can do alone, which is why Aqua is used so frequently. She is basically a Black and White Mage wrapped into one pretty package.

"So you gotta do some Black Mage work?" the redhead inquires.

"I suppose. Oh! Are you here for a briefing? Maybe we will be going together!" Xion cries excitedly.

Missions are always better when she has one with Roxas or Axel. However, because Roxas is pretty good at black magic on his own and because Axel can use Ninjutsu, also known as ninja magic, they aren't paired with her much.

Everyone at the Academy is given a Job, sometimes Jobs, based off of their natural skills and abilities. They are observed for a while then the Masters and Headmasters give them their Job classification which will be their area of expertise and what they will mainly study until they take their Mark of Mastery Exam and graduate. Sometimes individuals are given other Jobs but it doesn't derive too far from their original Job.

Xion is dubbed a Black Mage, a being that can conjure all forms of black magic, which means if a party already has an individual that can cast black magic, she will not be needed. Most missions do not require more than one individual with the ability to conjure black magic.

"Sorry to burst your bubble, but I'm not here to speak with the Headmaster. I'm just playing hooky and saw you in here and thought I would say 'hi.' And maybe I was going to keep Vanitas from killing you…" Axel confesses and reclines in the chair next to her.

"You _do _realize you are playing hooky in the lobby outside the Headmaster's office…right?" Xion tries not to flat-out laugh at her old friend.

Axel curses under his breath and leaps to his feet.

"Oh! Hey!" he halts his advance toward the door. "Roxas and I are going to get ice cream in Twilight Town after class today. Think you can meet us there?"

Xion smiles.

"I should be able to. I probably won't be deployed until tomorrow. I will come if I can."

"Alright! See you there! And try to avoid Vanitas!" Axel teases before scurrying out of the lobby.

Xion sighs and blows her black bangs out of her face. Despite popular belief, Xion doubts Vanitas would have actually _hurt_ her. He has never offered to before…

"Xion," the receptionist calls and snaps Xion out of her musings.

"The Headmaster is ready to see you now," she smiles and motions to the door.

Xion picks up her books and enters the office where Master Eraqus waits. She straightens her uniform; her ruby tie, white blouse, and black dress before she knocks.

"Enter," the Master calls and Xion takes a deep breath before walking in.

"Good afternoon, Master Eraqus." she bows.

"Good afternoon, Xion." The Headmaster rises from his seat to greet her. "Please, sit." He motions to the large seat coated in maroon leather beyond his massive, mahogany desk.

Nodding, the black-haired girl sits in the seat. The thick leather groans and protests under her weight.

"Thank you for coming on such short notice. Normally, I would inform you of the mission at least a week in advance but certain developments have forced me to break the respectable protocol," the Headmaster apologizes and takes a seat in his massive chair, but not before he runs a hand down his face.

Master Eraqus looks frazzled. The argument with Vanitas clearly put him on edge and took a lot out of him. He is still very stoic and composed but Xion knows he isn't at his finest. He looks like he was expecting Vanitas to snap right in his office and destroy anything and everything within a hundred mile radius. Even the Headmaster thinks he will just snap and go ballistic at any moment.

"It is fine, Headmaster Eraqus. It is no trouble. I understand." Xion bobs her head in respect.

Eraqus nods.

"We have received reports of Nobodies in the area around Radiant Garden. We will send Naminé and Riku to Radiant Garden with you to investigate and eliminate the threat," the Headmaster all but commands.

Xion isn't surprised that they will be joining her. It is a typical party; an individual to heal, an individual to use magic based attacks, and an individual to use physical attacks.

"You will leave first thing in the morning. We shall provide transportation. Be at the entrance at sunrise," the Master instructs emotionlessly.

"Yes, Master," Xion replies before standing and bowing farewell to the Headmaster.

* * *

The sun is setting over Twilight Town, but then again, the sun is always setting in Twilight Town. Everything has a beautiful, warm, cozy, and peaceful feel to it. Everything contains calming hues of orange, gold, and red. Xion likes being here with Roxas and Axel again. It almost feels like old times. It has been so long since they have been here...

"Do you think Xion's mission has anything to do with Xemnas?" Axel reluctantly asks after taking a chunk out of his ice cream bar.

"Probably," Roxas replies honestly. "What do you think, Xion?"

She shrugs. She doesn't want this to be related to Xemnas but she knows it probably is.

Xemnas was their old Headmaster when they went to Twilight Town's School of Mastery. But that was before the other Mastery Academies found out he was collaborating with Master Xehanort.

No one was surprised to learn of his treachery. After all, Xehanort _is_ his father, which was why the investigation was conducted at Twilight Town's Academy. Upon investigating they realized all their missions were dubious, unethical and were secretly helping Master Xehanort.

As former students of Twilight Town's School of Mastery, Xion, Roxas, and Axel were all guilty of aiding Xehanort and his calamitous cause through Xemnas.

How were they supposed to know that Xemnas was sending them on missions that could potentially lead to war and destruction?

They were taught to trust that man so they did, everyone in that school did. Call it an orphan complex…

Mastery Academies are a sort of new age orphanage, which made the school itself like a mother and the school's Headmaster like a father and everyone gets a while school full of brothers and sisters. It's an orphans dream come true. It was Xion's dream come true. The Academy gave her purpose, structure, a place to live, and a future, when she wouldn't have obtained those things otherwise.

When something offers an orphan a chance to make something of themselves, they go for it, no questions asked. That is what the Mastery Academies do; they give people like her, Axel, and Roxas a chance to start over, to become something greater, to see the world, to protect the things that matter, to obtain new dreams… Of course, their main goal was to create an élite, diverse mercenary force to complete missions that will help them prepare for the ultimate goal of protecting the balance and preventing war. Xion assumes that would also mean fighting in a war that threatened to destroy the balance but a war hadn't occurred in her seventeen years so she merely went on missions, that's what they all did.

"Roxas, would you do something like that for your brothers?" Xion asks out of the blue.

Roxas reels.

"Huh?"

Xion giggles. "Would you help your brothers? You know, the way Xemnas is helping Xehanort? Doing it because they are blood."

"Gosh, Xion, I would hardly call them my brothers…" Roxas nervously scratches the back of his neck.

It is true. They hardly qualify as his brothers. They didn't even know one another until recently. Almost all of them were taken in by different Mastery Academies after they were orphaned.

Roxas and Ventus have told Xion that they have no memory of their lives together. Roxas was sent to Twilight Town's School of Mastery, Sora was sent to Yen Sid's Mastery School, and Ventus and Vanitas were sent to The Land of Departure's Mastery Academy…_after_ they were Master Xehanort's students… Technically, Ventus and Vanitas were from the Radiant Garden Institution of Mastery…

Ventus and Vanitas were the only ones kept together and oddly enough they seemed to loathe each other the most. Xion never understood why they were kept together and the others weren't.

All four hadn't been reunited for very long. When Yen Sid retired, he sent Sora, Riku, and Kairi to The Land of Departure and when Xemnas was found out Xion, Axel, and Roxas were also sent there.

Once they were all in the same educational institution, it was confirmed that they were brothers, which wasn't a complete surprise considering how Roxas and Ventus were almost identical. However, the boys weren't that excited about the news. They took it in stride and Xion can't wrap her mind around that. She would be ecstatic to regain a family member. She is sure she wouldn't be that passive. It was almost like they didn't know what to do with one another.

"I know… I just wondered what that felt like. You know, to have that kind of bond with someone…" Xion raves aloud with a shrug.

"If you wanted a big brother all you had to do was ask!" Axel teases and nudges Roxas, causing Roxas to nudge her.

"I didn't say that!" she shrugs off the shoves and taunting. "I was just thinking that it might be nice to have family around."

"I guess it's nice. And I suppose I would help them because they are my blood but I wouldn't do anything crazy or flat-out wrong for them. Besides, I don't really talk to them much…so it's mainly just awkward. We are all set in our ways. We were all raised differently so we kinda missed out on the whole sibling bonding thing by the time we met each other again…"

"Yeah. I see what you mean. You and Ven are practically identical but even you two are very different." Xion concurs as she finishes up her ice cream.

It took her a long time to get use to seeing someone else with Roxas's face. It was crazy enough learning Roxas had brothers, much less one that was his identical twin.

"Speaking of Ventus…" Axel smirks and Xion cringes.

_Here it comes… _

"Are you two a thing or what?" he finishes and Xion's grimace grows.

"Not…officially…"

That was a complicated situation, one she wasn't really comfortable discussing with Axel and Roxas. She loves them and she could talk to them about_ almost_ anything, key word being almost. Her love life is the only thing she considers off-limits and she is sure the feeling is mutual.

Also, the fact that the guy in question is Roxas's twin brother makes this even more awkward. It took her forever to get use to the fact that they looked so much alike and even longer for her to see them as two completely different people. Which brings this back to the awkward area, Ven looks a lot like one of her best friends who she only sees as a brother.

She supposes that is why she has a bit of a mental block when it comes to Ventus, but she was getting over it and she was starting to_ like_ him…

"What do you mean_ 'not officially'_?" Axel probes and leans so far forward he almost falls off the clock tower.

"This is awkward," Xion grumbles and desperately hopes he will take the hint.

"You've went on a few dates, right?" Roxas chimes in.

Xion hates when they gang up on her like this.

"Awkward!" she repeats and covers her ears.

"Fine!" Axel relents and falls backwards to recline. "But I better not be the last to find out when it is _official._"

Axel could be a touch protective. Big brother syndrome she supposes.

Roxas grins at Axel and tries his best not to laugh.

"Okay. I will be sure to let you know if things get serious." Xion shakes her head.

"Damn right you will," Axel scoffs. "You have to seek our approval first."

"Says who?" Xion counters and glares over Roxas's shoulder at the redhead.

"Says me!"

"You're impossible," Xion huffs as she stands to leave.

"Whoa! Hey! Don't leave us behind!" Roxas calls before attempting to chase after her.

Axel groans when he realizes he will have to get up to follow them. He was just getting comfortable too…

* * *

Xion tries her best not to yawn in front of the man who has hired them, she really does, but she is_ so_ tired it is impossible to contain it.

She lifts her hand and does her best to hide the fact that she is yawning.

It was all Axel's fault. She had lost track of time in Twilight Town, which was easy to do considering the area experienced perpetual sundown. To make matters worse, once they returned to The Land of Departure, Axel and Roxas followed her back to her dorm room, which is completely against Academy rules, but that didn't stop them. If it weren't for Naminé, her roommate, she is sure they wouldn't have left until five that morning and she had to be up at five thirty!

Oh well, it doesn't matter now. She managed to get a few hours of sleep anyway.

DiZ, the man from Radiant Garden who has requested their services, explains the situation to them. He almost sounds like a Headmaster and this shouldn't surprise her, the man used to work at a Mastery Academy. He used to be an Academy administrator before Radiant Garden's Institution of Mastery was dissolved. DiZ worked with Master Xehanort, the terminated Academy's former Headmaster, before he went off the deep end…

"They have all been seen in the woods. They are not close to town…yet, but I fear that is inevitable unless they are disposed of now," DiZ explains as he places his elbows on his desk and laces his fingers under his chin.

"Right. We will do all we can," Riku says professionally and stoically before bowing to the elder.

Xion and Naminé follow suit and bow as well.

"Thank you. You are dismissed. Come back here when you complete your task or if there is any trouble," DiZ continues before waving his hand for them to disperse.

"Yes, sir," the Academy students call in unison before they exit DiZ's study and journey back into town.

Radiant Garden is lovely. Xion always enjoys missions in this area. It is just so calm and quant. If she wasn't on a mission she would enjoy staying and relaxing for a while, but she_ is_ on a mission and she is in full Black Mage garb so she has to behave herself. She is representing their guild now. Everyone that will see her will know she is from one of the Mastery Academies and with all the corruption within these institutions lately, she can't afford to tarnish their image anymore.

Xion finds herself envious of Riku and Namine's Job uniforms. They aren't nearly as decked out as she is. One of the drawbacks of her Job she supposes.

While Naminé merely wears her short, fitted white robes lined in angular, red trim classifying her as a White Mage, Xion has to wear tight, thick tunics and the signature Black Mage hat, which looks a lot like a witch hat.

Granted, her robes aren't as bad as the traditional robes were years ago. Modern adjustments have been made and she was able to wear shorter, sleeveless tunics in warmer weather, but she still has to wear bell sleeves just below shoulders and really high boots so it doesn't really matter. She is still covered head to toe in clothing and ornaments.

No surprise that the majority of her attire is black so it doesn't repel heat much, but her hat is purple and her boots and bell sleeves are also outlined in purple so she isn't _completely _morbid.

Garment wise, Riku has it the easiest. He simply wears a little bit of armor over some regular clothes and _boom_, people instantly know he is a Warrior. However, Xion has also seen Riku in his Dark Knight apparel, which makes her ornate Black Mage garb look simple. Dark Knights wear black armor, lots of it, and a heavy helmet is usually included. But Riku is in luck today, DiZ didn't want a Dark Knight, he just wanted a Warrior.

Truthfully, Xion can tell that Master Eraqus is reluctant to deploy and train Dark Knights in general, but the other educational institutions around the world outvoted him, it is seen as a sort of fight fire with fire technique or maybe a fight darkness with darkness technique...

Once upon a time they were against Black Mages too because it was considered a dark art, but here she is and it is viewed as normal now. Maybe with time Riku's second Job won't be regarded as taboo either.

"Did he give any specifics on where the Nobodies were spotted?" Naminé asks Riku politely.

"Nope. He just said they were in the woods…somewhere," he replies stoically.

Xion whimpers inwardly. This will probably take forever. The woods are huge so this will probably be a wild goose chase. She would rather stay in town a bit longer. It is so nice outside and she hasn't had a chance to see all the fountains and gardens yet but she isn't here to observe such things, she is here to save this community from a Nobody threat. A threat that was likely caused by her former Headmaster…

_That never gets any easier to swallow._

For a long time, the trio investigates the woods and only found a few Nobodies. Xion is disappointed. She wanted more action than this. There are only standard Nobodies in these woods, nothing but Dusks.

When Aqua said it wasn't going to be anything grueling, Xion wasn't thinking she meant _boring_. Xion is pretty sure she and Naminé could have handled this alone. Hell, Xion is pretty sure _she _could have done this alone. It is a minor infestation to say the least.

"How bored are you?" Xion playfully asks the silver-haired Warrior after he disposes of another Dusk she froze with Blizzard for him.

Riku smirks. "Do you want me to be honest or nice?"

"Honest." she chuckles into her hand.

Before Riku can reply, Naminé interrupts him.

"Xion! Look out!"

Xion's blue eyes widen and she turns to face the Dusk, only it isn't a Dusk. It is the largest Nobody she has ever seen. It towers above the trees and looms over them as if they are bugs to be squashed.

It hardly registers how huge this thing is and it _really_ doesn't register as to how this massive thing managed to get the jump on them, but that is how Nobodies and Heartless work. One moment they aren't there, the next they are.

It is a Twilight Thorn, probably the largest Nobody in existence. Its body defies biology and physics. Its shoulders and feet come to sharp points and they almost imitate the Nobody insignia while its head is probably the smallest part of the colossus.

The Nobody's massive, white claw plummets from the sky to crush her and she doesn't have a chance to react. It is all happening too fast and it is much too close to her.

Xion hears Naminé cast a Protect spell on her form and she instinctively casts Firaga knowing it will do little to no good long before it ever connects with the Nobody's palm.

The Twilight Thorn merely flinches but still swats her across the woodland as if she were a fly. The Protect spell and her Fire only kept the initial blow from killing her but as she helplessly flies through the air she is pretty sure whatever she collides with _will _kill her.

Xion is ripped apart by terrain, blanches, limbs, and tree bark as she flails through the air and tries to regain control of her body.

The young Black Mage wishes she were a bird or anything with wings. It would make this a lot easier to manage.

She claws at air, hoping to get a hold of anything that will slow her down. She twists and turns through the air and tries to do something, anything that might help her get footing on the illusive ground, but she is starting to think the ground doesn't exist anymore.

Her back hits a massive oak tree and all the air leaves her lungs. She is pretty sure her entire vertebral column is shattered. She probably won't ever be able to walk again.

Xion crumples to the ground and she feels herself slipping. Into what she doesn't know, she just knows she is falling. Again.

With the last of her strength, she manages to grab the tree root nearest to her and tries to hoist herself back onto stable ground. Her strength fails her as consciousness quickly starts to fade. Everything blurs and she isn't sure what she is holding onto and why, so she lets go.

Xion is falling again. She is pretty sure she is rolling down a steep hill of sticks and thorns before the sound of rushing water invades her ears.

Before she can fully recognize the sound, she is smothered by cool, rushing water. She can't breath and she can barely see. Everything is blurred and murky. Then, all at once, something sharp and hard crashes into the back of her head and her whole world goes black.

* * *

_**A/N: Thanks so much for reading! **_

_**So I have managed to make another Kingdom Hearts and Final Fantasy hybrid! Woo! So this one is a Xion and Vanitas story. In my opinion, I do not think that there are enough Vanitas and Xion stories floating around out there so I am doing my part and contributing! If you guys like it, I will continue to work on this, and I'll try to make a longer chapter with more Vanitas's point of view in it. **_

_**Anyway! I hope you enjoyed the introduction chapter, reviews are ALWAYS appreciated, and thanks again for reading! **_


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any part of Kingdom Hearts or Final Fantasy. I own nothing!

* * *

_**Chapter 2**_

* * *

**Sometimes,** Vanitas doubles as an undertaker. He often gets jobs that no one else wants to do and sometimes, being an undertaker is that job. Someone has to do it. Someone has to deal with death and carnage and since he is the only one around that can handle it, he often turns into that person. However, they never call him an undertaker. Instead, they call him a_ 'tracker.'_ It sounds a bit nicer.

Vanitas strolls through Radiant Garden, hands in his ebony pockets as he makes his way to DiZ's study. He didn't put on any of his Job attire before he came here. That would be stupid considering he isn't here on a mission, he is there to find a body so he merely put on his Academy uniform; his crimson short sleeve button up, black tie, and ebony slacks. He thought that would be appropriate attire for an undertaker.

No one really speaks to him as he is escorted to the former administrator's room by stiffs in strange, navy uniforms. They know why he is here. That or they remember him from the time he attended the Radiant Garden School of Mastery… Both are strong possibilities.

His tawny eyes survey his former Academy as he walks through the aging corridors that lead to the old Headmaster's office, _Xehanort's_ old office. He hasn't been here since before he and Ven were transferred to the Land of Departure. They probably don't want him getting ideas by returning to the place where he served and trained under Master Xehanort. They don't send Ven here either, but that is more out of sympathy and pity than out of fear. Master Xehanort didn't _want _Ventus…

"DiZ and your comrades are inside," a man with thick, curly maroon hair informs tersely and Vanitas can't help but smirk. This man dislikes him already. The feeling is mutual.

"I can take it from here, gentlemen," the raven-haired warrior sneers and looks at them expectantly.

"You can go now," he adds and folds his arms over his chest in annoyance when the guards cannot take a hint. His smirk vanishes and he replaces it with a deep scowl.

Eventually, the men Vanitas has _affectionately _nicknamed dumb and dumber (mentally, of course, he would never actually call them that to their faces) leave.

He doesn't knock before entering. He doesn't think it is necessary. They are probably expecting him. After all, they are the ones that called the Academy requesting his services.

When he enters the room, Naminé and Riku are already there. The blonde sits in a chair near DiZ's desk while the silver-haired male fretfully paces around the desk like an agitated cat.

They look like hell; covered in dirt and grime. Naminé looks like she is on the verge of tears and judging by the puffiness around her bright eyes she has already been crying. Her plump, pink lip is trembling but she is trying to hide that behind a gray mug probably filled with some warm, soothing beverage.

Riku looks frazzled, clearly tired and unnerved. Twigs are nestled in his hair and mud is smeared across his face. He looks damp. His pants are wet and his feet are covered in mud.

The last twenty-four hours have not been good to them.

"Hello, Vanitas," DiZ is the first to address him or even notice him for that matter and, damn, does he look different! The last time he laid eyes on DiZ he was a snooty blonde guy who had a different neckerchief for every day of the week but now...he has covered most of his face in vermillion wrappings complete with a black belt to hold them secure around his head. He wears strange robes of crimson and black with gold trim on his body. If Vanitas didn't recognize his unique voice, he would have never guessed that this was the same guy that was Xehanort's administrator another lifetime ago.

"Rough day?" Vanitas asks and while what he says isn't nice, it isn't as rude as it could have been.

Naminé snivels and whimpers in response. DiZ doesn't respond at all and Vanitas is not surprised. He and Xehanort didn't part on good terms and he is pretty sure DiZ never liked him to begin with; not that many people do.

"We can't find her," Riku states as he stops his pacing and straightens his posture. Didn't do him much good. He still looked like shit walked over twice.

"Find who?" Vanitas sighs in annoyance. "I'm not a mind reader. You are going to have to tell me whose body I'm looking for."

The White Mage is full on crying by the time the word _'body'_ leaves his lips.

"Xion," Riku snaps, a mixture of hurt and anger in his tone.

Vanitas's eyes almost widen. Almost. He is almost saddened upon hearing whom has been struck down. Almost. Were Vanitas able to feel such thoughtful sentiments, he would probably feel them for her. Probably, but he has no way of knowing that for sure.

"A search party is still looking for her in the woods but we aren't having any luck and it is getting dark. A Twilight Thorn knocked her across the woods. By the time we defeated it, we had lost track of her..."

Vanitas nods. "Take me to where you saw her last."

* * *

Night is closing in on them and that will make this '_search and rescue', _as they are choosing to call it, harder. If Vanitas hadn't been drug all the way out here, he would recommend that they just call it a day and start again in the morning. However, he has been drug all the way out here so he isn't about to just turn back around and leave. Plus he is pretty sure Xion's friends won't let him until he at least_ attempted_ to find her, or her corpse. Whichever.

Riku led Vanitas through the endless wood to the fallen titan, the Twilight Thorn.

"Looks like Xemnas has learned some new tricks. This guy is massive," Vanitas commends, his tone almost exhilarated as he crouches down to examine the dissolving colossus. He has seen Twilight Thorns before but he has _never_ seen one this big! "Better tell Eraqus that Xemnas is learning how to control bigger ones."

Riku nods. "This was the last place we saw her."

"Do you know the direction he hurled her toward?" Vanitas asks flatly as he stands up and examines the area for clues; broken branches, grooves in the dirt, anything that might help him track her.

"North, I thought, but we haven't been able find to anything in that direction," the silver-haired warrior responds, his eyes weary and worn.

"Thanks…" the black-haired male sneers and oozes derision. "That's…_helpful_."

"I guess I'll head east?" Riku announces as Vanitas treks further into the blackening woodland.

Vanitas waves dismissively over his shoulder. Riku assumes that because he has come there to help them find this body, they will be working together. He is wrong. This isn't a team effort. Vanitas doesn't believe in teamwork. To him, teamwork means everyone else staying out of his way while he does what needs to be done.

It is officially dark and Vanitas is having trouble seeing. Dusks are popping up every now and then, and he is grateful the damn things are white and not black like Heartless.

This mission is clearly a complete bust. These woods are still infested as far as he can see. Riku and Naminé obviously fell apart at the seams when Xion was killed. They defeated the Twilight Thorn but totally abandoned everything after that.

This is why Vanitas thinks their personal relationships with one another are absurd. They do nothing but inhibit. At the end of the day, it is just a nuisance that keeps them from doing what needs to be done.

Sensitivity and attachment are weaknesses. Of that, he is certain and there is nothing that Eraqus and his instructors can say or do will convince him otherwise.

As Vanitas works his way through the woods like a blind man, he almost kills several morons that from DiZ's search party. Gangly, incompetent fools all of them. They squeal like girls and flee in the opposite direction, screaming apologies as they scamper out of his way.

He will say one thing for them; they can take a hint better than Riku can. They know he doesn't need or want their assistance. They know this isn't about teamwork almost instantly.

There is a small body of water nearby. He can't see it (he can't see much of anything, actually) but he hears it. His instincts tell him to follow it.

Vanitas walks towards the sound of rushing water and carelessly falls face first off a steep bluff. He rolls down the ledge but regains his balance before he completely falls into the water. However, he isn't able to stop himself before he lands into the muck that apparently, creates the riverbank.

"_Damn it!_" Vanitas howls as he wretches his wrists and ankles out of the thick slop.

As he heaves himself out of the mire he sees something strange out of the corner of his eye. It is nestled underneath a massive tree root and it would go unseen unless someone was within the riverbed like he was. The object clearly isn't a part of the tree root and it isn't mud or rocks.

The crimson warrior continues slinging the mud and sludge off his hands as he walks toward the tree root that is growing down the towering ridge that forms a sort of border around the river.

He kneels down into the mud and feels around for the foreign object. His hands come into contact with what feels like silky cloth. It jingles a little when he lifts it and he realizes it is a Black Mage hat, Xion's. If he has to guess, he figures Xion fell into this river somehow and slipped downstream. She is either way downstream or at the bottom of this body of water. Why no one else thought of this is beyond him. It seems like a reasonable assumption to him. But then again, they are looking for a living breathing Xion while he is just looking for her body.

Halfway down the stream, Vanitas sees something washed up on the bank amidst several rocks that line the waterway. It isn't moving but it has an unnatural form. Like the Black Mage hat, he probably wouldn't have seen it if he hadn't fallen down into this pit of a river earlier.

Usually, Vanitas is all about being in the dark. It is his favorite time of day and black is probably his favorite color. Well, technically, black isn't a color. It is more of the lack thereof but who cares. The point is, Vanitas has no qualms with dark things, given he is a being of darkness himself, but he is _really _getting tired of not being able to see anything in this damn forest. He likes to think that he has better night vision than most but it is a new moon and even he is struggling within this immense gloom.

He wadded into the shallow water and approached the strange form sprayed out along the rocky bank.

Reaching out, he touches the mass and it is soft, almost mushy. He recognizes the texture of smooth skin.

It is a body.

Vanitas sighs heavily and prepares to haul it out of the water after gazing at her muddled form blankly for a drawn out moment. He grabs what he thinks is a muddy arm and hoists the sopping, waterlogged body up and out of the rushing fluid. His hand detects that the arm he holds is cold but not stiff. She probably hasn't been dead long.

Good. That will make lugging her back to the former Academy a lot easier; the fact that she isn't that heavy is also a pleasant surprise. Xion was a petite girl and for that, he is grateful.

Again, Vanitas is almost saddened by her passing. Almost. She was always nice to him. Regardless of what he did and she was kind of cute in that annoying, obnoxious kind of way.

Memories start to bubble up on the surface of his brain but he quickly represses them with a shake of his head.

Pushing the almost mournful thoughts away, Vanitas bends over and prepares to heave her over his shoulders, but a whimper of protest stops him.

"Wha-!" he yells and almost drops her back in the water but manages to loop his arms underneath hers before she immerses herself back into the blackened body of water.

He isn't sure what being more afraid of a live body than a dead one says about him…

Vanitas grabs her but the jolt and sudden movements are too much and he falls to his knees with a frustrated growl. Xion's head lobs over and crashes against his chest causing him to grimace. He isn't sure which is more unpleasant, being almost waist deep in chilly water or having Xion flush against him.

"You're still kicking?" he asks as he tries to reestablish his hold on her and get back to his feet without being hauled downstream.

Xion groans a little more.

"I'll take that as a 'yes'," he replies emotionlessly and tosses her over his shoulder once his feet connect with dry ground.

The black-haired girl whimpers again and he can feel her soggy body wriggling against his shoulder, her soft voice vibrating against his shoulder. The contact makes him uneasy so he shifts her so she feels more like a strange satchel instead of a person.

He carries Xion through the gloomy woods and looks for Riku or any member of the search party wandering around the woodland. He doesn't find anyone so he takes it upon himself to take her back to the old abandoned Academy himself. Let DiZ call off his worthless hounds if they haven't abandoned him and retreated already.

"Hey!" he roars as he busts into the aged establishment, leaving muddy footprints in his wake. "I found her!"

"For heaven's sake, keep your voice down!" a strange man with dull blonde hair and wild, green eyes chides as he storms up to him. "This isn't a tavern!"

"I didn't say that it was!" Vanitas counters, keeping his voice raised out of spite. "She needs help!"

"She isn't dead?" the man in the blinding lab coat reels and shuffles around him in order to look at the girl slung over Vanitas's shoulder.

"Not yet, but she will be if you don't help us," Vanitas replies coldy and shifts the young woman on his shoulder.

"Follow me," he instructs with a haughty sigh and points over his shoulder.

Vanitas follows for Xion's sake, not because he wants to take instructions from the idiot in scientist clothing.

The scientist leads them to what Vanitas recognizes as the old infirmary and points to the bed.

Vanitas places the Black Mage on the bed and intently watches the man with green eyes put on some latex gloves. He proceeds check her vitals and hook her up to an IV. As he watches him, he instantly recognizes him as Even. He was Radiant Garden's medic when the Academy was still in practice. It has been so long since he was enrolled there he had almost forgotten him.

"I will go inform DiZ that she has been retrieved and that things have not gone as planned. Stay with her until the White Mage arrives to treat her," Even orders as he removes his latex gloves and throws them in a nearby waste can.

"What?!" Vanitas reels. "Stay with her?"

"Calm down, Vanitas. It will only take a moment," the scientist rebukes him and leaves the room.

"But…!" the crimson warrior calls after him but it is too late. He was already gone and he was left alone…with her. "Damn…"

After kicking at the ground in frustration, Vanitas plops down in the chair that sits at the foot of the bed and finds himself staring at…_her_.

Xion is pale. Paler than he has ever seen her before. She is taking shallow breaths, and every now and then she grimaces. She is probably in pain, probably has some internal bleeding, and some broken bones. He is glad he isn't her.

With a sigh, he leans forward and rests his elbows on his knees and stares at the linoleum of the floor.

Being alone with her makes him uncomfortable; come to think of it, _everything_ involving her makes him uncomfortable. He doesn't know why but he doesn't dwell on it. It is too messy. That is a nasty internal debate for another day.

He didn't know why she always made him feel funny but he _did_ know that he didn't want to leave her until he knew she was all right. However, he didn't really want to stay with her either. He is contradicting himself…

Vanitas runs a hand down his damp face in vexation before hearing the sound of groaning and rustling sheets. His head pops up and his eyes pop out as he sees Xion starting to stir.

The raven-haired girl whimpers and rolls onto her side. Her head is killing her and her back hurts. A lot. She doesn't remember where she is, how she got there, or why she is in so much pain.

Sapphire eyes open and slowly regard the room. Now she is really confused. She is in a room she has never seen before.

_That is discouraging, _she thinks privately as she gradually comes to.

Her blue eyes scour the room for any signs of familiarity and find Vanitas lazily sitting in a chair at the foot of her bed. He is covered in mud and mire and he is clearly waterlogged. Water is rolling off of his limp hands and she can faintly hear the moisture dripping onto the linoleum flooring. A few drops cling to his face and mingle with the slop that is smeared across his face. There is an unreadable expression plastered to his grimy face.

"Vanitas?" she croaks, her voice weak and rough.

Vanitas stiffens and straightens his posture under her feeble gaze.

"Yeah?" It comes out harsher than he meant it to.

"What… What happened…? Where…? Why?" She tries to sit upright but she fails. She only gets her head off the pillow before she goes crashing back down onto the cot.

"You—"

"Xion!" Naminé interrupts him as she flies into the spacey room. "Thank goodness you are alive!"

Xion's ebony brow creases. "I was dead?"

"You were attacked by a Twilight Thorn, remember?" Riku inquires as he enters the room with DiZ and Even on his heels.

The instant Riku informs her that she was attacked by a Twilight Thorn, everything comes rushing back; the mission, the Nobodies, the really_ big_ Nobody, the being knocked through the woods, the hitting a tree, the falling into water, and finally, the passing out.

Xion grimaces as she remembers why she is in so much pain. "Yeah. I remember."

Naminé proceeds to get on the bed and examines her cynically while Even inspects the IV in her arm. The White Mage is scanning for wounds. Xion knows that look well. This isn't the first time she has suffered from injuries nor is it the first time Naminé had treated her wounds.

"DiZ," Xion addresses the cloaked man apprehensively. "I am_ so_ sorry about all this…"

She has failed. She went on a mission and failed. She was defeated and almost killed. This is very unprofessional and careless on her part. She is ashamed on so many different levels. Not to mention this will delay her Mark of Mastery Exam. This failure will go on her record and will be put into account when the Masters judge when she is worthy of taking her Mark of Mastery Exam.

"You are almost killed during a mission_ I_ hired you to do and you are apologizing to me?" DiZ chortles in the back of his throat.

Xion does her best to sit up and address everyone properly but her tormented head seems intent on keeping her prostrate. "Was the threat defeated? Was the mission completed? Were we successful?"

"There are still Nobodies scattered throughout the woodland around the city but the majority of them were thwarted. Obviously, your accident did cause a bit of a hiccup but the threat is at bay for now," DiZ explains stoically, his arms held firmly behind his back.

"The Academy will be sending Aqua to help us finish the mission tomorrow," Riku says and that makes her feel a bit better about what happened but that doesn't change the fact that Aqua shouldn't have to come here at all. Her failure will cost the Academy time and money. Not to mention she will be seen as incompetent and a liability for a while. This must be how Vanitas feels all the time...

"Wait," she adds when she realizes there is one less person in the room. "Why is Vanitas here?"

"We couldn't find you after the Twilight Thorn attacked you. We searched for a long time but we couldn't find you. After twenty-four hours and after seeing the way that thing hit you we had to assume…" Naminé whispers, her voice breaking.

"We called the Academy and they sent Vanitas here to help us find you," Riku finishes for the blonde girl. "He is the one that found you and brought you back here."

"He... He is the one that saved me?" Xion asks, her voice barely over a whisper and she isn't even sure if she said it out loud or not.

"I hate to be rude," Naminé's voice brings her out of her musings. "But she has some serious injuries that I need to attend to so if the gentlemen would please leave the room?"

That is the last thing Xion hears before her head hits the pillow, unconsciousness mercilessly claiming her yet again.

* * *

"I can't thank you enough for saving her!" Naminé squeals for the umpteenth time and hugs him for like the fourth.

He doesn't return the gesture but he_ does_ refrain from shoving her off him, which in Vanitas's world is the equivalent of reciprocation.

He should have left while he had the chance. Why in the_ hell_ did he stay? What on earth possessed him to wait outside to make sure that_ girl_ was okay?

"I didn't save her," he explains. Again. "I just found her and brought her back here. She isn't alive because of anything I did. See, there is this magical thing called _a will to live_…"

"Just take the damn gratitude," Riku hisses and glares daggers at him.

Golden eyes roll and his arms fold over his chest.

It isn't his fault he can't accept gratitude. It isn't like it's something he receives often. In fact, finding Xion is the first thing anyone has praised him for in…a long, long,_ long _time… Finding her made him feel like he had actually done something…right.

Maybe that is why he couldn't bring himself to leave. Maybe he wanted to make sure he hadn't failed at the one thing he had done right in years.

True, it was an accident and he wasn't there to 'save her', he was there to retrieve a body but the result was the same.

"I'm going to go check on her and try to treat her injuries some more," Naminé announces before she vanishes back inside the old Academy infirmary.

"You can go now. Thanks for helping us," Riku expresses his appreciation professionally before following Naminé into the infirmary.

Vanitas drums his fingers on his arms. He is at a loss. He isn't quite sure what he will do now.

He could stay in Radiant Garden but no one really wants him here, not that anyone wants him back at the Land of Departure either.

It is hard to find places to go when no one wants you. Well, one person wants him but he isn't allowed to be near him. Not that Vanitas needs permission to go to his old Master or anything. Besides, he doesn't even know where Master Xehanort is.

While debating on whether or not he wants to go back to the Land of Departure during the middle of the night, he wanders through the halls of the abandoned Radiant Garden Institution of Mastery.

His old Academy looks a lot different now that it is deserted and abandoned. They have remodeled and it looks more like a research facility or laboratory now, which is basically what it is. The classrooms are now rooms where experiments and research is conducted. Men in white coats and guard uniforms wander the halls instead of students. The Headmaster's office is now DiZ's study. It is a completely different organization now.

When he comes full circle and arrives back at the infirmary entrance, Naminé is waiting outside.

"Oh, good! You haven't left yet," she says and Vanitas gives her a funny look. "She wants to see you."

"Huh?" the gruff word comes out long before he can stop it.

Naminé giggles. "Xion wants to see you. I think she wants to thank you."

Vanitas doesn't understand them; any of them; the goody-goodies. They are all misguided and strange. They are too attached to each other, they are clingy, annoyingly pleasant, naïve, and irrational. Just because he accidentally saved her, he is suddenly part of the good guy group? It makes no sense but for some reason, he enters the infirmary anyway.

Xion is sitting up in bed now. The color has returned to her cheeks and there is light behind her eyes. She looks better. The White Mage has clearly put her hands on her, but she still looks rough. She is still damp, muddy, and covered in scrapes and bruises but she looks better than she did an hour ago.

"What?" he snaps and she looks taken back.

"Oh…um…" Xion begins twiddling her fingers and nervously playing with her IV. "I just wanted to thank you."

"For?"

"For bringing me back, I guess…"

Vanitas realizes this is the most she has spoken to him in a while. He still remembers when she didn't speak at all. For a long time, he thought she was mute. All she did for the longest time was whisper to Axel and Roxas or hide behind them when he got too close. He would have sworn she was afraid of him. Maybe she still is.

"I would probably still be out there or dead if it weren't for you. And I'm sorry you got roped into this mess because I was careless," she adds when he does nothing but stare at her.

"Are you done?" he asks curtly, his arms folded.

Xion smiles at him a little. His shoulders tense and he has taken in a sharp inhale that he is now holding tightly within his lungs.

"Yeah. I think so," she responds sweetly.

The little twinkle in her eyes is back and it makes him uncomfortable. _She_ _always _makes him uncomfortable and the worst part is he doesn't get why! She has just always had that power over him..

His discomfort is his cue to leave so he makes a break for the door while he still has the gall to, before that annoying urge to stay with her and ensure that she is all right returns.

"Vanitas?" she calls and the way she says his name is almost melodic. She says his name like it is a name instead of saying it like it is a hex, curse, or profanity. She doesn't say his name much, but when she does, it is noted that she treats his name with care. If he were honest with himself, he would admit that he likes the way she says it. Too bad he isn't honest with himself.

Vanitas doesn't respond, but he does halt his advance and turn his head in her direction.

"Thanks again. I mean it."

"Sure," he scoffs and she simpers knowing that his response is as close to a 'you're welcome' as she will get.

* * *

_**A/N: Thanks so much for reading and thanks to everyone that followed/favorited/reviewed! You guys motivated me to continue this story so thank you! I appreciate and enjoy reading the feedback! :) **_

_**Alright, I have revamped this story a little. I changed the title and rating of this story from M to T. I apologize if this has thrown anyone through a loop or caused any problems. I was still trying to figure out how I was going to write this story but I think I have finally gotten my thoughts together and there shouldn't be any more drastic changes.**_

_**Also, this story has a plot! I swear! It may not seem like it now but it does! Just trust me! **_

_**Next time, Vanitas will drink intoxicating beverages and battle shrubbery! **_

_**Thanks again for reading and I hope you enjoyed the chapter! **_

_**Review? ;) **_


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any part of Kingdom Hearts or Final Fantasy. I own nothing.

* * *

_**Chapter 3**_

* * *

**Xion** is out of commission for about a week. She goes to classes but isn't allowed to do anything strenuous like missions or training for a while. She had a concussion, a few fractured ribs, and a couple broken places in her back. Needless to say she was a mess for a while, even with the aid of Naminé's magic treatments.

Axel and Roxas stayed with her a lot. They brought her food and helped her with little things around her dorm while she was on bed rest.

Then, when she was able to return to class, Ventus took over. He carried her books, walked her to class, and basically waited on her hand and foot. She was lucky to have him but now that she is almost back to one hundred percent, it is becoming…tiresome.

Ventus came to her room after class. He helped her carry her books back to her dorm and now he is lingering within her room while she tries to tackle the stack of school work that has grown much too large during her recovery.

"He asked about you," Ven says as he lies on his back across her bed within her dorm room, repeatedly throwing a stress ball that looks like a brain at her ceiling.

"Who?" Xion asks, her eyes not leaving the makeup work she has sprayed across her desk. Aqua managed to cut her a break but she is still drowning in assignments… The instructors understand getting hurt and near death experiences are part of their job and that they are unavoidable but that isn't an excuse. Life goes on and you have to bounce back.

"Vanitas," he replies and she freezes.

"How so?" Xion inquires calmly as to not show just how much her curiosity is peaked.

It is no secret that Ventus and Vanitas aren't too crazy about each other. Ventus doesn't necessarily like his brother but he is relatively indifferent and plays nice majority of the time. Vanitas, however, displays a clear hatred of Ventus.

"He wasn't polite or anything but did hint that he wanted to know how you were…in his own weird Vanitas kind of way," Ventus answers flatly and stares holes in the blank ceiling above her bed.

"Were you nice?" Xion simpers at him over her shoulder.

"Of course!" he props himself onto his elbows in order to sit upright and fully regard her. "I'm always nice!"

Were it anyone else, she would instantly call bullshit but this is Ventus, he_ is_ always nice.

"I even thanked him for saving you," he adds and for some reason, Xion's face heats.

"T-that was nice of you." She nervously places a lock of ebony behind her ear.

"I meant it," he says as he gets up and approaches her. "I am grateful to him for saving you."

His hands find her shoulders and he begins massaging.

Xion tries her best not to freeze up but that is usually what happens when things get physical between her and Ventus; not that things have gone that far to begin with…

Honestly, she doesn't know why she always chokes and freezes up when things get physical. It is just what she does when things heat up. Maybe this is why she and Ventus aren't official; it is at least one of the reasons. She isn't sure what the others are…there is just something off or missing between them.

"Are you going to the party this weekend?" he asks and continues his ministrations.

"What party?" her brow furrows as she stares at the gray protocol book in front of her.

Ven usually isn't much of a party person and neither is she. Normally, the only parties they attend are the graduation parties that occur after someone passes their Mark of Mastery Exam and graduates. Xion isn't aware of anyone graduating so this topic takes her by surprise.

"The one at being thrown on the Summit this weekend," he answers matter of factly as if she should already know about it.

"Does Master Eraqus know about it?"

"Probably but he is probably turning the other cheek like he usually does with stuff like this." Ventus shrugs and picks a pen off of Xion's desk before proceeding to play with it.

Xion nods.

"So are you going?" he probes, nervously and rapidly clicking the pen's tip.

"I hadn't planned on it but I didn't know about it until about five seconds ago…"

"I'd like it if you went. We could go together," he says apprehensively, his eyes glued to the floor. He is clearly nervous.

A small smile blooms across Xion's lips. "I guess I could pry myself away from all my makeup work…"

* * *

Parties are not Vanitas's scene. Free booze and loose girls, however, are, which is the only reason why he is here. However, in order to obtain those things, he has to interact with the people he detests and the whole _motley crew_ of goody-goodies is here.

The Summit is buzzing with music, chatter, and debauchery. The sheep seem to be having fun. Vanitas thinks of his peers as sheep simply because he feels like a wolf in sheep's clothing. Also because sheep are the dumbest farm animals but that fact is merely an amusing bonus for him.

When Vanitas was transferred here after Xehanort's descent, the Masters publically dubbed him a wolf and proceeded to put him in sheep's clothing. Because that makes_ so_ much sense!

The shepherds brought a wolf into the flock, told the sheep about the wolf, then, tried to turn said wolf into a sheep. Nevertheless, sheep are still sheep and a wolf is still a wolf. You can feed a wolf grass and tell him it is meat all day long but the wolf will still want meat. It will still be his nature to be a predator and one day, natural instinct will be too much and one if not all of the sheep will be consumed. A wolf is still a wolf underneath the façade of snowy wool. He will still have fangs. He will still crave meat. He will still do what nature tells him to do.

The wolf is hunting now, but he is craving a different kind of flesh at the moment. No one will be eaten tonight. He is too full of vegetation to want a big meal so he will stick to his vegetarian diet.

Golden eyes work through the crowds in search of a potential candidate that can fulfill his carnal craving. His eyes are ravenous as he looks for the right girl. She always has a look to her. She will want it as much as he does. He has the whole bad boy thing going for him. Getting girls is not a problem.

Naminé, Kairi, and Xion come into view and he decides that getting certain…_types_ of girls is not a problem. Girls like them are much too smart to go anywhere near the wolf. They remember he is a wolf. They know the dangers, they know better than to get too close to the wolf that could ultimately destroy them.

Vanitas sighs and leans further into the stone walling that surrounds pieces of the Summit, hoping he can somehow become part of the shadow the nearby golden lantern is creating.

"Tonight the night?" Vanitas hears Terra's obnoxious voice nearby and his eyes automatically roll. Not even his calculated distance and isolation can save him from some conversations and eavesdropping.

He slowly begins to realize if tall, dark, and broody is here, Aqua must be here somewhere too.

That is unfortunate. Aqua is consistently a problem for him and she is a total buzz kill. Talk about a stiff. He doesn't see what Terra sees in her. She is pleasing to the eye no doubt, but her personality is…off-putting.

_To each his own_, Vanitas muses.

"I think so," a second voice replies and he instantly recognizes that this voice emerges from the vocal chords of his _brother_, Ventus. "Fingers crossed!"

"She likes you. You got this!" Terra replies and Vanitas almost drops his drink when he realizes what they are talking about.

No, no, no! He does not want to be hearing this! He isn't _nearly_ drunk enough to be hearing this! He needs at least ten more drinks before he can listen to Ven talk about his potential girlfriend and his sexual conquests.

Vanitas starts to leave but realizes there aren't many places for him to go. They have cornered him. He hesitates but only for a moment before trying to make a break for it.

No, he doesn't have anywhere to go but _anywhere _is better than here listening to Ven talk about things that make him feel strange.

"Hey, Vanitas!" Ventus calls.

"Son of a b—" he hisses under his breath before turning to face his _dear brother._

"Hi…_bro_!" he fakes it since he can no longer escape. His greeting is far too kind and exaggerated to be genuine or even somewhat sincere. "How is it going?"

Vanitas has been talking to Ven _way_ too much lately…

"Good! You?" as Ventus replies Vanitas really thinks his brother might be one of the most naïve people alive. Ven is either the dumbest person alive or the kindest. Maybe both. Either way, he chose to completely ignore his obvious scorn. The same couldn't be said for Terra. If Terra could catch the sarcasm he threw at Ven then anyone could! He is as dumb as the rocks he is named after.

"Fine." Vanitas bars his fangs at Ven in what is supposed to be a forced smile.

"Vanitas, you are friends with Xion, right?" Terra probes and Vanitas deflates a little inside.

"Depends on what you consider a friend…"

"She is one of the few people that doesn't flat-out hate you. In your case, that is what's considered a friend," Terra replies arrogantly and folds his arms over his broad chest.

Vanitas wants to know when Terra learned how to push his buttons so well. Probably sometime after he made his blue-haired girlfriend's life a living hell…

"Fine. I'll bite. She is my…_friend_." Vanitas rolls his tawny eyes and tries his best not to choke on the word 'friend.'

"Then please tell Ventus that she likes him and that he should just go for it and make it official." Terra hauls an arm over Ventus's shoulder and rustles his flaxen hair.

"She likes you. You should just go for it and make it official," Vanitas repeats Terra's words robotically through gritted teeth before walking off briskly.

He needs a drink…or two…or three…or fifty.

* * *

Xion sits in Ventus's lap while he talks to anyone and everyone. She didn't want to sit in his lap. She isn't crazy about public displays of affection but the only way she is going to be near him is if she sits in his lap while he sits on one of the few stone benches available on the Summit. All the other seats around him are taken and he insisted and she doesn't have to heart to tell him 'no'; it would feel like kicking a puppy.

Ventus is so outgoing it's impressive. Why he likes someone like her is still a mystery. She is so inverted and shy around people she doesn't know and he is the complete opposite. Ven doesn't meet a stranger. Opposites attract she supposes.

"Is Vanitas drunk?" Sora asks as he eyes the dark-haired Keyblade wielder across the Summit.

"He shouldn't be…" Ventus says and follows Sora's gaze.

"He is," Aqua confirms dejectedly.

There is a collective groan around their small group. Vanitas isn't supposed to drink, but he does. He isn't supposed to do anything that might make him snap. He isn't supposed to do anything that might compromise this fragile mental state, anything that might make him lose control, or anything that might fuel his savage darkness. He isn't supposed to, but he does. Frequently.

"Don't look at me." Aqua reclines and holds her hands up in mock surrender. "I'm off the clock. I'm not responsible for him again until Monday morning."

"He is eighteen. _No one_ should be responsible for him," Axel slurs before angling his glass vertical to get every last drop of his drink.

"But we _are_ responsible for protecting the balance," Naminé points out politely. "So technically we are responsible for him… You know, in a round about way."

Xion nods her head in silent agreement.

"I'm kind of with Aqua on this…" Riku chimes in as he swirls his drink around in his cup. "I'm not on a mission and I'm not in class. Right now, I'm not responsible for anything pertaining to the Academy or the balance…"

There are soft grumbles of agreement.

"Can't we just have fun tonight?" Kairi asks softly, her eyes wandering from person to person. "Isn't that the whole point of nights like tonight? Us being able to be normal teenagers for a little while?"

"Yeah!" Axel howls and holds his empty glass up before almost flipping off the stone bench he sits upon.

Xion giggles after rolling her eyes.

"I better talk to him…" Ventus relents and gently shifts Xion out of his lap.

"Why?" Roxas asks as Ven rises to his feet. "He won't listen. It won't do any good…"

"Probably not." Ventus concurs and shrugs. "But if I talk to him, we can say we tried. We won't be liable anymore that way."

Ven makes his way across the Summit and approaches his sibling who is seducing some brown-haired girl with the charm of darkness itself. Ventus cannot hit on girls that well while sober and the fact that Vanitas can while drunk makes him feel inadequate. In an odd way, he is almost jealous of Vanitas because he is _everything _he isn't and vice versa.

"Ventus, if you talk to me one more time today, I_ swear_ you are going to lose a limb," Vanitas threatens without looking away from his next conquest.

"How much have you had to drink?" Ventus speaks anyway, accepting the fact that Vanitas may very well follow through with his threat.

Frustration rolls off Vanitas in waves as he turns to face him.

"Enough," he sneers and Ven notes that his voice is sober but his eyes aren't. His normally golden eyes are the deep amber of good whiskey. "What's it to you, _little brother_?"

Ventus isn't necessarily fond of their relation either but he does not mock their bond as Vanitas does.

"I just felt inclined to make sure you are of sound mind."

Vanitas laughs in a way that makes Ventus's blood run cold. "Since when have I_ ever_ been of sound mind?"

Ventus doesn't answer. His eyes merely wander to the creamy bricks that make up the bridge they stand upon.

"And don't act like you came over here out of concern. You came to save your own ass from the wrath of Eraqus. You wanted some insurance, which is very un-Ventus-like of you and I have to commend you for temporarily growing a pair, but it isn't necessary. I won't do anything that will land you and yours in hot water. _Tonight,_" the golden-eyed man taunts darkly before casting his attention back to the brunette he is with.

"Vanitas—"

"Get out of my sight." Vanitas's tone changes from sarcastic to deadly serious so quickly Ven's head spins. "Go back to your friends, go back to your girlfriend and leave me the hell alone! Don't worry, I'll let you know if I change my mind and decide to destroy the world."

Ventus exhales harshly and surrenders. He doesn't really have a choice. He can't control Vanitas anymore than Master Eraqus can. No one can control Vanitas. Axel is more controllable than Vanitas and that is saying something!

"Well, that went well," says Ventus cheerfully as he returns to the circle. "He told me he would let us know if he decides to perform mass genocide."

"How considerate of him." Aqua smiles. "At least he gives us a thirty-second head start before he attempts to destroy the world!"

* * *

Slowly, the crowd began to dissolve and the party began to wind down. Curfew would be in effect soon, successful party or not, curfew would still happen and punishments would still be dealt. Xion often mused that they couldn't even party like normal teenagers…

Ventus and Xion walk back to her dorm at a rather brisk pace. Curfew isn't active yet but it will be soon. They are cutting it close and Xion hasn't mastered the art of sneaking out after curfew and honestly, neither has Ventus. It isn't something they do.

"Naminé in there?" Ven asks as he inspects her dorm's door as if he can see through it.

"Yeah, she bailed a while back. She likes parties and noises almost as much as I do," Xion states with a soft chuckle.

"Hey, you are a lot more social than you used to be," Ventus commends and places a hand on her shoulder in assurance. "I used to be introverted a long time ago too if you can believe it."

"You're kidding." She giggles but looks at him quizzically.

"Nope, when Vanitas and I first came here, I was recovering from a training accident with Xehanort…" Ven's eyes grow dark and his tone changes from chipper to cross. She has only seen him like this a handful of times and each time he was talking about Xehanort or his life before he came here. "I didn't really know anyone but when I met Aqua and Terra and recovered I really came out of my shell! I guess they rubbed off on me."

"I was the same with Roxas and Axel but I wasn't recovering from a training accident. I was just fresh out of an orphanage… I didn't know anyone and no one ever cared about what I said before…" Xion holds her head down and stares at her feet in a vain attempt to push the memories of neglect away. "Roxas was the first person I met that understood. He kinda went through the same thing. Being thrown into an Academy…coming from nothing, having no past, no friends, no memories. He kind of took me in, introduced me to Axel and we've been friends ever since. "

A small smile blooms across her face as she speaks of her friends.

"I'm sure once you met Axel you _had_ to learn how to talk," Ven chuckles at the thought.

"Yeah he was…bracing, at first." She continues to smile. "But now he has rubbed off on me a bit. You have too. I should probably stop hanging out with extroverts."

Ven blushes a little and her brow rises at this. "How would you feel about perpetually dating an extrovert?"

Xion blanches and her stomach ties itself in to a rigid knot. Her back is against the wall figuratively and literally and he is closing in on her. His blue eyes are lidded and he is craning his neck so he can get closer to her.

They have kissed before. This is nothing new but if she kisses back this time, it will probably mean something else. It would probably be taken as a response to his question, a positive one.

Would this kiss make it official? Did she want it to be official? Is she ready for that? Shouldn't she be surer about something like this? You either want someone or you don't, right?

"Ven!" she hears Aqua call before his lips meet hers and Xion releases a breath she didn't realize she was holding.

Ventus looks frustrated for a second before he instantly returns to his normal demeanor and faces Aqua.

"What's up?"

"We can't find Vanitas," she informs solemnly and Xion watches Ven's smile fall.

"I'll help you look for him," he replies.

"Terra is checking the classrooms and the cafeteria," Aqua explains professionally and it sounds a lot like a mission briefing. It probably is.

"I'll check the Mountain Path and the Summit," Ven replies flatly. He has gone into mission mode as well.

"Can I help?" Xion asks and holds her elbows nervously.

"Yes," Aqua responds instantly. "You can check his room and dormitory again. I was just there but he might be there now and may return there after he finishes doing whatever it is he is doing. If he hasn't gone to find Xehanort…"

All the air is sucked out of the hallway the instant Aqua mentions Vanitas's prognosis. It isn't something that is talked about much but everyone knows what Master Yen Sid has ominously predicted will happen to Vanitas at some point, what he will _do_ at some point.

Pushing the frightening thoughts away, Xion nods and begins walking down the hallway towards the boys' dorm.

"Oh, and Xion?" Aqua calls. "You may want to check some of the halls in this building too…"

Xion nods again. Aqua doesn't have to elaborate. Everyone knows Vanitas has a reputation of being a womanizer.

The black-haired mage checks her dormitory twice but she doesn't find him. However, that doesn't mean he isn't there. Vanitas is the master of avoiding curfew and sneaking out afterwards. He has mastered the system and he could easily be in any of these rooms doing _who knows what _to _who knows whom_.

Vanitas could easily be in any of these rooms but she can't perform bed checks so checking the halls will have to suffice. If he is in one of those rooms, he will come out eventually. Besides, they aren't worried about Vanitas getting laid, they just want to know where he is so they can make sure he isn't out setting an apocalypse into motion with Xehanort.

Sometimes Xion thinks they are too paranoid when it comes to Vanitas but she supposes she understands. They need to know where he is. If he runs off it could cause a lot of problems. She gets that.

She checks the lobby and the halls, and again comes up empty-handed. When her search in the lobby and the halls prove fruitless she decides to venture outside.

Xion checks the entrances, the courtyard, and wanders around the Academy itself for a short eternity. Eventually, she hears rustling near the entrance that leads to the east wing of the Academy.

She follows the rustling and faint murmurs, and finds booted feet poking out from underneath the decorative shrubbery and vines that line the institution's stairwell.

"Vanitas?" she calls and pulls back some of the foliage.

"No," he responds and it feels like a weight has been lifted off her shoulders.

Xion kneels down beside him and tries to find the rest of his body within the shrubbery.

"It's Xion."

"Why?" he replies, incoherent.

After a few moments of indecipherable statements and illogical responses, he sits upright. The black button up shirt he wore to the party completely unbuttoned, leaving his abdomen exposed and susceptible to the moonlight crashing down around them. His already alabaster skin is even brighter against the pale rays of the moon. The contrast between his skin and the black shirt he wears only emphasizes his unique complexion. The inhuman muscles that form his abdomen ripple and cascade down to the lining of his pants and Xion's imagination fills in the blanks and she is fairly certain the sculpting continues below his waistline.

"Vanitas, do you want me to help you get back to your room?" she offers when she thinks he might comprehend what she says.

"Why…why would you do that?" he slurs and places a hand on his forehead. "I'm already there…"

"No, you are in the shrubbery by the east wing entrance," the Black Mage corrects gently.

"Why…is there…a bush by my bed?" Vanitas asks as he swats the foliage's limbs away.

Xion cannot help but chuckle as he fights with the oversized shrub. "There isn't a bush by your bed. You are outside."

"Am I outside?" his brow furrows and his eyes finally meet hers.

His eyes flare in a way that makes her feel like she shouldn't look directly into them, like she may go blind if she lets them bore into her corneas.

"Yes, Vanitas."

"Why are you in _my_ room? Shouldn't you be in Venny's room?"

Xion's face flushes.

"Who put this damn bush in here?!" he roars and proceeds to attempt to uproot the plant completely.

"No, Vanitas, stop!" Xion cries as she leaps forward to stop the assault. She grabs his wrists and gently pries his hands off the innocent plant.

When he feels her touch, he goes rigid. He is in shock and he watches her hands curiously. His expression saying that he doesn't understand why she is touching him, willingly.

"You're warm," he says matter of factly and he sobers a bit.

His scalding hands seize her wrists as hers have seized his and she jumps. His hands twitch and tighten around her wrists and his thumbs almost caress the tender flesh on the underside of her wrists that protect her pulsing veins.

"C-come on," she stutters and takes his hands instead in an attempt to stop the contact and break the trance he is in. "Let's go back."

"I-I think I fell," he informs her with a dark chuckle as he staggers to his feet.

"Yeah," she grunts in response and does her best to steady him. He is bigger than she thought he was. That or he is bigger than he was the last time she was this close to him. When she was about fourteen or fifteen, he was only a few inches taller than her but now he is _at least_ a head taller than her.

When she realizes that Vanitas will not be walking on his own, she hauls his arm over her shoulders and does her best to support his weight. She wraps one of her arms around his waist and holds his arm around her neck so he won't fall on their way back to his room.

"And you smell good…" Vanitas gave another dark chuckle and he threw his head back languidly.

"Thank you?" she replies. She really doesn't know how else to respond. It isn't like he will remember this anyway.

"Even when you were dead you smelled good. Kind of like daisies…" he raves as she leads him back into the sleeping Academy.

"Mm hmm," Xion humors him and does her best to not fall down the stairs with him. What he is doing barely qualifies as walking. He is basically dead weight, lots of it.

"I think I liked daisy first," he continues as he leans against her, his face practically in her hair and his arm tightening around her neck in an awkward embrace. "Ventus liked daisy later but daisy doesn't like me. _No one_ likes me…"

"O-okay!" she says awkwardly when they reach his hallway. "We made it to your room!"

Xion fondles the doorknob until the door gives then leads them into his room.

"Why did you help me?" he asks as they enter his living quarters. He has sobered. She can tell by the way he is speaking to her and how he isn't completely relying on her support anymore.

"Because you needed me," she replies simply before as she guides him to his bed.

Vanitas loses his footing and stumbles over a discarded gauntlet that lies upon the floor. His weight is too much and they plummet onto his bed with a collective grunt. He falls onto his back and she collapses onto his chest.

Vanitas groans from the impact and his hands instinctively find her waist. They are within dangerous proximity of each other and Xion is all over his bare chest in all the wrong and right ways. He doesn't even seem to mind! She just knew he would shove her off into the floor for violating him in such a way but he actually held onto her so she wouldn't roll off of him and hit the floor.

His golden eyes close and he holds his head back as if to let her nestle against him. His arms wind around her waist and they both grimace knowing this isn't completely right, Xion knowing more so than him.

She has no idea why Vanitas called her warm. She is like a freezer compared to the warmth that was radiating off of his slowly rising chest. It is stifling and she feels like she might suffocate. She needs to get off him.

"Mmmm," he mumbles as she shifts against him and tries to find the most appropriate way to disentangle their limbs. "Soft…"

Xion chooses to believe that he is talking about the bed and not her as she shifts along him and helplessly tries to get her feet back on the illusive floor. Seeing no other alternative, she is forced to temporarily straddle his hips. As she attempts to sit astride his hips in the most caste way possible, she carefully pries his arms off of her but not before his drunken hands glide from her waist to her hips.

She is panting and red in the face for a multitude of reasons by the time she manages to completely break free and get her feet back onto the floor.

With a sharp exhale she places her hands on her hips and stares at him as she tries to clear her hazy brain and figure out what she will do now.

"Okay," she says in between breaths. "Lets get your shoes off."

Xion is used to drunken protocol. She has had to help Axel through this kind of thing before and she realizes it is common courtesy to help them prepare for bed. It will make the shrieking headache that will surely greet him in the morning a bit better.

She kneels on the floor and slips his blackened boots off his feet before tossing them into a corner of his room where he will not trip over them.

"There," she calls playfully and pats his knees. "That's better, right?" she smiles at him although she knows he won't see it.

Xion crawls onto the bed beside him and proceeds to help him slip his arms out of his shirt. She can't tell if he is sleeping or not but she does note that he is limp. He is like putty in her hands, very unlike how he is sober.

"You know, I almost like you better this way," she teases and playfully pats his exposed chest.

"Ha," he attempts to laugh sarcastically but fails and again, she can't keep from giggling.

She does her best to place him by his pillows but he seems content to rest horizontally by his bed so she lets him. She is tired of wrestling with him anyway.

Xion ventures to his bathroom and searches for some painkillers, a waste can, and maybe something he can take for nausea. Unable to find the latter, she journeys back to his bed, places the painkillers on his nightstand and the wastebasket by his head just in case he can't make it to the bathroom in time.

"Vanitas," she whispers and sits next to him on the bed.

"Mm?"

"I'm going to go now. I've put some medicine on your nightstand and there is a garbage can in the floor if you get sick. Okay?"

"Mm." his unusual eyes try to open and regard her but they struggle to do so.

"Okay." She nods and gives his fingers a quick squeeze. "Goodnight."

Xion slips off his bed and makes her way to his door.

"Xion!" he cries and she jumps before quickly turning on her heel.

"What?!" she squeaks.

He has managed to prop himself onto his elbows and she can see those burning eyes of gold glowing like sizzling embers within the darkness around them.

"Did…did he? Are you?" he desperately tries to ask but he can't get his brain and mouth to sync up.

"I'm sorry, I don't understand. You aren't making sense…"

"Has Ventus take you? Did he take you away? Did I lose?"

"Um, no. I don't think so," she attempts to assure him although she isn't quite sure what is happening or what he is talking about.

"It's not fair," he mumbles before hauling an arm over his eyes. "I liked you first…"

Vanitas continues mumbling about unfairness, how everyone likes Ven, how Ven always gets what he wants, and several other incoherent things.

Xion can't think of a reply, she can only gape at him from his doorway.

* * *

_**A/N: Thanks so much for reading! And a big thank you to everyone that reviewed/followed/favorited! You keep this story alive! **_

**_I am aware that there is some Xion x Ventus elements in this story but I swear this is a Vanitas x Xion story so just trust me! _**

_**Next time we will get some flashbacks and some Vanitas and Xion backstory!**_

**_Thanks again for reading and I hope you enjoyed the chapter! _**


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